The Green Paper on Adult Education is due for publication in Summer ’98. The Agency made a submission to the Green Paper outlining the necessary components for a high quality literacy service throughout Ireland. (This submission may be obtained from the office or viewed on our webpage). This important discussion document will explore how best to rationalise the rapidly expanding yet haphazardly funded adult education sector. At the centre of this document is to be a National Literacy Policy.

Throughout 1997, meetings were held with officials of the Department regarding various concerns of our membership, in particular the increasing demand upon the largely voluntary adult literacy service and the need for additional resources.

NALA is also pursuing the need for guidelines for all those involved in granting Special Arrangements for Certificate Examinations, which take into account the specific situation of adult literacy learners. During the year, Mr Des O’ Loughlin, Assistant Principal Officer with responsibility for Adult Education, visited the Offaly Reading and Writing Scheme to explore the service in a rural setting.

The National Anti-Poverty Strategy document "Sharing in Progress" was launched in early 1997. In response to its publication, NALA argued that this document did not contain concrete proposals in relation to tackling the adult literacy issue. Following discussions with the NAPS unit, NALA submitted a further proposal to the Inter-Departmental Policy Committee (IDPC) for consideration.

The IDPC subsequently set up a working group on adult literacy chaired by the NAPS Unit and comprised of representatives from the Departments of: Education and Science; Social, Community and Family Affairs; Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Equality and Law Reform; as well as FÁS and NALA. All representatives are currently looking at their responses to adult literacy problems among their clients.

As a result of NALA’s involvement with NAPS, representatives from the Department of Social, Community & Family Affairs, the VEC and FÁS in Galway, are working with the Agency and the NAPS unit on a practical initiative to provide a tailored programme for long-term unemployed adults with reading and writing difficulties.

Throughout 1997 all those involved and interested in adult literacy in Ireland eagerly awaited the publication of the Irish results of the International Adult Literacy Survey, Education 2000. The IALS was the first multi-country assessment of adult literacy, in co-operation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The low literacy levels revealed by the survey of the first group of OECD countries, published in December 1995, alarmed many of the developed nations.

The Irish results found that 25% of adults had very low literacy skills, (Level 1 in the survey) and a further 30% had below average literacy skills. The report also confirmed the fact that those at Level 1 were far more likely to be unemployed or in low paid employment, watched more television and read fewer books. Furthermore, participation in adult education was far less among those with poor reading skills.

The publicity which surrounded the Irish findings reflected the public disbelief that our literacy levels could be so low and could compare so unfavourably with other OECD countries.

NALA’s media awareness campaign highlighted that the results referred to people who had low levels of reading and writing skills and were not necessarily "illiterate". This awareness campaign was necessary, both to explain the findings and to reduce the stigma attached to the adult literacy issue.

The former Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, established a fund of £600,000 in 1997, to be allocated to groups working with women who experience educational disadvantage. NALA was invited to sit on a committee to administer this fund, alongside representatives from AONTAS, Combat Poverty Agency, Community Workers Co-operative, Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, National Women’s Council, St. Vincent’s Trust and Trócaire. The Department received over 160 applications for funding.

The objective of this conference was to highlight the importance of adult learning and to forge a world-wide commitment to adult and continuing education from the perspective of lifelong learning.

This would aim to:

• facilitate the participation of all in sustainable and equitable development;

• promote a culture of peace based on freedom, justice and mutual respect;

• empower women and men;

• build a synergy between formal and non-formal education.

Thematic working groups covered debates concerning the link between adult and child literacy and the link between teachers and tutors. The rising requirements of literacy and numeracy skills were starkly contrasted with the failure of schools to achieve 100% literacy among students in a case study from the USA. Another working group attempted to gain an understanding of the inter-relationship between the conditions for the development of a literate environment on the one hand and of the development of society on the other.

The Conference adopted UNESCO’s Agenda for the Future, which will strengthen the promotion of lifelong learning around the world.